The School-to-Work Opportunities Act, which was designed to improve student learning, in-school retention, and transition to the workplace, requires the restructuring of secondary education and the extensive involvement of business in preparing youth for the workplace. School-to-work initiatives reflect the conditions of the settings and contexts…

This digest reviews a variety of the policies, programs, and practices to prevent youth violence so that local leaders can base decisions on the experience of other communities. The effectiveness of school violence prevention initiatives is increased by public policies that reinforce their message and by community programs that attempt to prevent…

This brief paper summarizes research findings concerning the identification and implementation of effective practices in early childhood intervention for children with disabilities. First, research documenting the effectiveness of early childhood intervention is noted and the importance of developing individualized programs within integrated early…

The book discusses current issues and trends in special education programming at the secondary level. An introductory chapter by Cynthia L. Warger outlines service delivery program models and the range of curriculum content options. In Chapter 2, Janet Sansone focuses on the issue of accountability in secondary education as it relates to…

This booklet addresses the difficulties of comparing and drawing meaning from dropout data prepared by different agencies, and examines the characteristics of students--and of schools--that place students at risk for leaving school prematurely. The booklet describes prevention programs and presents evidence on their effectiveness. It reviews…

Summarizes recent ERIC documents on at-risk children. (Author/BB)

Proponents of competency-based education and training (CBET) promote it as a way to improve the correspondence between education/training and workplace requirements. CBET's opponents consider it excessively reductionist, narrow, and rigid, as well as theoretically, empirically, and pedagogically unsound. The following are among the issues…

Proceedings of a 1986 symposium on the education of children with low incidence handicapping conditions focus on medically fragile children, advocacy, and technology. R. Dwain Blackston enumerates conditions affecting medically fragile children, family needs and stresses, and guidelines for effective family-staff relationships. Responses by…

The seven brief chapters of this paper advocate mixed-age grouping in schools and child care centers. Discussion defines mixed-age grouping and examines some limitations of single-age grouping. Research findings on social and cognitive aspects of mixed-age grouping are reviewed. Social aspects are discussed by considering in turn the following…

Although about 53% of public higher education students are enrolled in community colleges, the proportion of students with disabilities served by the community colleges is about 71%. According to a 1995 survey of 672 community colleges across the United States, approximately 8% of students reported a disability and about half of those requested…

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 emphasizes the placement of people in jobs as the first step in the welfare reform process rather than the development of basic and job skills. This has forced adult and vocational educators to rethink the role their programs can play in welfare reform. The move to…

Increasingly, adult educators are using narrative and stories for many reasons, including their deep appeal, satisfaction, and cultural transcendence. As a fundamental structure of human meaning making narrative is a valuable classroom tool in that it can enable students to understand life events, personal actions, and solidify identity formation.…

Capstones are culminating experiences in which students synthesize subject-matter knowledge they have acquired, integrate cross-disciplinary knowledge, and connect theory and application in preparation for entry into a career. Capstone courses should be both a synthesis and a bridge to students' future after graduation. In career and technical…